OK, the world today is generating record gun purchases. One of the big reasons people want a gun is for home defense. This is a serious decision and not one that should be made lightly. There are some things you need to ask yourself:1) Am I 100% sure that I could shoot someone if I needed to? If the answer is anything less then 100%, do not buy a gun for defense. There are other less-then lethal options available. Peper Spray, Mace, Stun-gun are just a few.2) Who do I want to have access to the weapon? Wife? Sons? Daughters? Elderly persons?3) What are the physical abilities of everyone who may use the gun?4) Who do I want not to have access to the weapon? Wife? Sons? Daughters? Elderly persons? Visitors? GRANDCHILDEREN?5) How much firearm experience do all the people with access have?6) What is the layout of my house? Do I live in the country? City? Apartment?7) Will I use the gun for anything other then home defense?8) How much do I want to spend?

All of these answers will effect your purchase and determine you get the right gun for your requirements. If you go to a reputable dealer, they will in all likelyhood ask you most, if not all of these questions. The last thing you need is to have the worng weapon in an emergency situtation.

Pistol vs. Long gun?A pistol is a good choice for home defense. I would not recomend anything smaller then a .38 special. This gun can be easily handled by just about anyone. They are small, light and have little recoil. Unfortunatly, this also means they have less stopping power, that is, will do less damage. There are basically three types of pistols available. Single shot (1 shot then you must re-load) Revolver (rotating cylinder holds the rounds) or Semi-Automatic (Ammo is in a detachable magazine). For home defense, I would not recommend a single shot. If you miss on the first try, you're done. Revolvers are a good choice. First they are generally cheaper then a semi auto, but they don't usually hold as many rounds. Semi-Autos are a good choice as well. You get more rounds but you stand a bigger chance of the gun jamming.

Those are good questions Boba. It's nice to have you take this forum over. I would like to suggest a 12 or 20 gage shotgun for home defense. You don't have to be a good aim, and under stress you can just point in the direction and connect!! The 5 shot pump is what I have and I love it. THEN, I would suggest a hand gun for a good back up and for those who feel comfortable with a hand gun. I do, and I STILL would grab my shotgun first, with my hand guns close by.

Now for the long gun. These come in two basic categories with sub categories. These are the Rifle and the Shotgun. Each of these have the sub categories of single shot and semi automatic. The rifle is meant for longer range and greater accuracy. It also packs a much bigger punch then a pistol round. The problem with rifles for home defense is that they are actually too powerful. A .223 bullet leaves the barrel at over 3200 feet per second! To put this in perspective, a top fuel dragster travels 1440 feet in about 4 seconds. A .223 goes three times as far in 1/4 the time. This can go right through a person, the wall behind them, the wall of the house, their neighbors wall and whatever else is in the way. However, it has an effective range of about 400-500 yards. (maybe more) The other alternative is the Shotgun. As Fox mentioned above, it is her weapon of choice for home defense. It is mine as well. You can have multiple shots, each shot can contain multiple rounds, the point of impact is much larger so your aim doesn't have to be perfect, and you can get a decent one for less then $300.00.There are a couple of things to consider though.1) Gauge - This is a measure of the barel size. The lower the number, the larger the barrel diameter.2) Single shot - This comes in two forms. The single barrel and the double barrel. The double barrel comes in two forms as well. The side by side, or the Over/Under.3) Pump - This is somewhere between the single shot and the semi. after each shot, a quick pump of the handguard is requried to chamber another round.4) Semi Automatic - Each pull of the trigger gives you another shot.5) Stock and barrel length6) Type of shot used. There are many different rounds available for the shotgun. They range from hundereds of small shot up to one solid slug of lead.

At this point, you need start to make a decision on what you want. The first step is to check into state and even local laws. The laws vary GREATLY from state to state as to what you are required to do, what you are able to buy, and under what circumstances you are permitted to use deadly force. The NRA is a great source for this. Their Web site is http://home.nra.org/. If you need more help finding this info, feel free to PM me.

Ok, now you've decided what you want and what is legal in your area. Which one do I choose? If you are looking for a shotgun, There are many available. For home defense, you want a shorter barrel. the law atates that it must be at least 18" long. just about all manufacturers make 18 1/2" barrels for this reason. You also may want a pistol grip instead of a stock. This will further shorten the overall length of the gun and make it easier to maneuver inside a home. Be careful here though, the overall length must be at least 26". Now if you go this route, I highly recommend that you shoot one before you buy one. This will help you determine the gauge you want and can handle. If you've never fired a pistol grip shotgun, you are in for a ride. The last thing you want in a self defense situtation is to fire it, then have the gun fly from your hands. Smaller gauge guns will have less recoil (Kick). The price of shotguns varies greatly. they can go from under $200 to several thousands of dollars. I had done a great deal of research prior to buying mine and found that for a good, reliable gun, there are two favorites: The Mossburg model 500 ($230 - $350) and the Remmington model 870 ($275 - $400). If it is a pistol you want, your first decision is revolver or Semi automatic. Both of these have their good and bad points. The revolver is an older design that has been around since about 1600. It is one of the most reliable guns on the market. If you have a failled to fire round, you simply pull the trigger again and it fires the next round. I would recommend that you must get a double action model and at least a 38 cal. The other choice is the semi-auto. These are great guns as well and have been around since the 1890's. There are many different makes, models, sizes, accessories, etc... for these guns. These guns generally give you greater capacity. The number of rounds varies from 5 - 20+. the only concerns I have on these is their greater chance of jamming. With a good quality gun, this is almost eliminated, but not quite. The other concern as a home defense gun is that if you have a missfire, you must reset the slide to chamber another round prior to shooting again.

There are tons of things to consider and millions of options available. The best advice I can give is talk to people and do your research on the internet. Don't forget the most important thing is always safety. This means not only using your gun correctly, but also storing it correctly. When you do get a gun, I highly recommend taking a gun safety course. There are many things you must know that you may have never thought of. Also, you might find that you enjoy shooting and want to participate in the sport as well. Don't let the first time you fire your gun be in a stressful, threatening situtation. You need to be comfortable with it to be effective. Again, the NRA or your local police can help locate a safety course in your area.

i don't know why, but for the past several weeks i have had this nearly uncontrolable urge to buy a shotgun. i have no use for one. no real need for one. yet every time me and the Lady go to the mall, i always end up at Scheel's oogling.and i know exactly what would happen if i got one; i'd sit in my recliner, watching TV, going "Cha-chuck", and laughing.

Wolverine wrote:i don't know why, but for the past several weeks i have had this nearly uncontrolable urge to buy a shotgun. i have no use for one. no real need for one. yet every time me and the Lady go to the mall, i always end up at Scheel's oogling.and i know exactly what would happen if i got one; i'd sit in my recliner, watching TV, going "Cha-chuck", and laughing.

Look around your area and go try Trap or Skeet shooting. It is a blast! Lots of fun and a good excuse to buy one. (And they make cool noises when you "rack one". That sound alone will deter most people from further action.

I have a P14 by Para Ordnance, 45 cal. auto, and my wife has an Amadeo Rossi 38 Special.Fully loaded and ready in our easy out hiding places. We are loaded with "home defense" rounds which are non-lethal after one wall penetration.Something to think about is; what damage will the rounds or pellets do if they miss?I remember the story of a guy who accidentally knocked out his own electricity with a miss. In the city (or anywhere), you would be responsible for the damage a miss could do to others' property or person.

Before every action and decision think of the consequences 7 generations into the future....Ute Rule of Life